11 movies to check out on Netflix this February

Andy Muschietti’s chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s still amplifies everyone’s innate fear of clowns by a factor of 10. Set in the summer of 1989, the movie about a group of kids in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by a shape-shifting clown named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) became a blockbuster hit and spawned a necessary sequel. The most successful R-rated film of all time also stars Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, and Jaeden Martell.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro’s features giant mechas called Jaegers doing battle with Kaiju monsters entering our world through an interdimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The movie starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman is best viewed on the biggest screen in your home. The A.V. Club’s , “What Pacific Rim lacks in originality it largely makes up for in boyish enthusiasm—an infectious affection for cocky flyboys, titanic mechanical men, and (especially) the mythically colossal villains.”

Ti West’s period horror movie features Jenna Ortega before her career took off with Wednesday and Scream. Set in 1979, a small cast and crew making an adult film in rural Texas end up starring in an impromptu, real-life horror movie when the elderly couple hosting the film team go on a rampage at their farm. Mia Goth is a revelation as Maxine, a porn star with dreams of becoming a legit actress in Hollywood. Her story will continue with MaXXXine, expected for release sometime in 2024. A prequel, Pearl, also stars Goth as a younger version of the old woman in X. Horror fans—especially grindhouse connoisseurs—do not want to miss this trilogy.

The Australian rom-com stars Absolutely Fabulous’ Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald, and Hugh Skinner. The official synopsis reads: “A brilliant young fund manager leaves her unfulfilling job and long-term boyfriend to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an opera singer in the Scottish Highlands.” Although the Ben Lewin-directed film first screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, its U.S. release got delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amat Escalante’s mystery-thriller stars Juan Daniel García, Ester Expósito, Bárbara Mori, and Fernando Bonilla. The official synopsis for the Mexican-German-Dutch-Danish coproduction reads: “Emiliano lives in a small mining town in Mexico. Motivated by a deep sense of justice, he searches for those responsible for the disappearance of his activist mother who was standing up for local jobs against an international mining company. Receiving no help from the police or judicial system, he finds a clue that leads him to the wealthy Aldama Family, where he meets a famous artist, his celebrity wife, and their beautiful daughter. It’s not long before he has a job at their home and becomes determined to uncover the secrets beneath the surface.” The movie premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

The Australian family drama , directed by Robert Connolly, stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill), and Eric Bana (Hulk)— three actors you probably haven’t seen in a while or don’t see often enough. The official synopsis reads: “Follows Abby, a child who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora, and takes on poachers to save her friend.” The movie about protecting coral reef ecosystems premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

Please don’t interpret the inclusion of the Britney Spears movie in this guide as an indication of the teen road film comedy’s quality. The Tamra Davis-directed movie is worth mentioning for Spears diehards because of its SVOD debut on Netflix this month. The A.V. Club’s Nathan Rabin writes, “The film offers loads of unintentional laughs, which begin when Spears is introduced as a virginal valedictorian and don’t subside until a final performance cheesy enough to rival Mariah Carey’s similarly misbegotten Glitter.” Crossroads also stars Anson Mount, Zoe Saldaña, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, and Dan Aykroyd.

If you were impressed by Jake Gyllenhaal in the Road House remake, check him out as an equally ripped boxer in Antoine Fuqua’s . The sports drama about a boxer trying to get his life back on track after his wife’s death stars Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams. The A.V. Club’s , “As Billy Hope, a pugilist going several rounds with his personal demons, [Gyllenhaal] sports a military buzz cut, a chin caked in dark stubble, and mounds upon mounds of glistening muscle. It’s a real blood, sweat, and tears kind of performance, extra emphasis on the blood: Crimson drips perpetually from a swollen eye or dangles from a clenched jaw, leaving red stains everywhere—on shirt collars, on pillowcases, on battered flesh.”

cleaned up at the Oscars last year, winning Best Picture, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), to name a few. The official synopsis reads: “A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.” The A.V. Club’s J, “The film, which uses the gimmick of jumping between parallel universes to explore, essentially, how to be your best self, is awash in zany sci fi culs-du-sac, sly movie references, and a deranged high fructose attitude that scoffs at the idea of everything but the kitchen sink.”

Tyler Perry’s crime thriller stars Kelly Rowlands and Trevante Rhodes. The official description for Mea Culpa from Netflix’s Tudum reads: “Criminal defense attorney Mea Harper [Rowlands] and her husband Kal are at a crossroads as the couple navigates difficulties in their marriage and finances. So when the murder case of artist Zyair Malloy [Rhodes] lands in her lap—and with the potential to make partner at her firm—Mea sees an opportunity to keep her family afloat. But when she tries to uncover whether her cagey-yet-seductive client is telling her the full truth, what she learns might unravel more than just her legal case.”

Got Amell? The Canadian sci-fi sequel stars two Amell brothers: Stephen and Robbie. The official Netflix synopsis of Code 8: Part II reads: “In a city where people with powers are policed and oppressed, an ex-criminal must turn to a drug lord he despises to protect a teen from a corrupt cop.” In addition to the Amell brothers, the Jeff Chan-directed movie also stars Sirena Gulamgaus, Altair Vincent, Alex Mallari Jr., Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Aaron Abrams, and Jean Yoon. The movie follows 2019’s Code 8, also starring the Amell brothers.